The Story Of A Family Survived Disaster In Pasaman, West Sumatra: We Have Give Up, But Allah Still Loves

JAKARTA - In the corner of a simple mushalla which is now a temporary shelter, Yusmidar (50) sits hugging both legs.

His eyes were empty, but his voice repeatedly broke the silence with the same sentence: "Alhamdulillah... my family is safe."

His house in Padang Laweh, Tinggam, was destroyed by a landslide on Friday, November 28, 2025 in the morning.

But he, his four children, and his sick father were still given the opportunity to live. For Yusmidar, that's more than enough.

The last five months of his life have been filled with grief over the loss of his beloved husband.

That night, when the clock pointed at 03.00 WIB, sleep never came.

Heavy rain knocked critically as bad signs he did not understand.

In the midst of his anxiety, his youngest daughter, Asyifa (8), suddenly woke up. The tiny face is pale.

"Mak... Abak calls Syifa. Three times," he said softly reported by ANTARA, Sunday, December 7.

Yusmidar was silent. The father of his son, the husband he lost, died five months ago.

"Just Syifa's feelings, son," he replied, wiping his daughter's head, trying to calm himself down.

But a few minutes later, the small scream broke out:

'Mak! Please!'

Before he had time to stand up, the roar hit like thousands of rocks that fell at the same time.

In an instant, his house turned dark, the walls seemed to collapse, and the mud as high as the neck swallowed anything in front of him.

In that deadly darkness, Yusmidar could only grab whatever was left. His hands found a stick stuck in the rubble of his only life support.

"At that time all my children thought about was... I called one by one, but there was no answer," he said in a trembling voice.

In the middle of a mud that moves like a monster who wants to swallow everything, he hears a faint sound: 'Mak... this is Azis.'

He was crawling, touching, and managed to pull out his son who was almost completely buried.

Having not had time to breathe a sigh of relief, another voice is thinner, weaker to shake his knee.

'Mak... Syifa here...'

He returned to the mud block, relying on the instincts of a mother. His hands finally found a piece of cloth, his daughter's clothes.

With the remaining energy, he lifted and hugged Syifa whose body was almost immovable.

After residents came to help, two of his other children, Akbar (17) and Anton (22), were found alive. That night, his entire family returned in his arms.

Their search has not been completed. His father, Amirudin (75), who was sick with a stroke, has not been found. Residents and volunteers worked hand in hand to comb through the mud until finally his father's body was found covered by landslide material, but still breathing.

"I have surrendered... but Allah still loves us," said Yusmidar while holding back tears.

The landslide that claimed Yusmidar's house was only part of the big tragedy that befell West Pasaman.

Two of the five people were buried; two of them were found dead, while the other three were still being sought until the tenth day.

Tens of thousands of residents had to flee, hundreds of houses were damaged, and agricultural land was destroyed.

But in the midst of darkness and mounting sorrow, the story of Yusmidar is a glimmer of light.

About how a mother, without anything but courage and love, is able to fight death to defend her family's life.

Di musala itu, Yusmidar kembali merapatkan syalnya, memandang anak-anaknya yang tertidur dalam kelelahan.

“Rumah saya hilang… tapi keluarga saya masih lengkap. Itu sudah lebih dari cukup,” katanya pelan, seakan meyakinkan dirinya sendiri.

At the prayer room, Yusmidar again closed his scarf, looking at his children who were asleep in fatigue.

My house is gone... but my family is still complete. That's more than enough," he said slowly, as if convincing himself.